Book reviews, mostly of Christian fiction, some classics, and nonfiction.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

The Curiosity Keeper - Treasures of Surrey Novel 1 - by Sarah E. Ladd

About the book:The Curiosity Keeper (Thomas Nelson, July 2015)

"It
is not just a ruby, as you say. It is large as a quail's egg, still
untouched and unpolished. And it is rumored to either bless or curse
whoever possesses it."

Camille Iverness can take care of herself.
She's done so since the day her mother abandoned the family and left
Camille to run their shabby curiosity shop. But when a violent betrayal
leaves her injured with no place to hide, Camille must allow a
mysterious stranger to come to her aid.

Jonathan Gilchrist never
wanted to inherit Kettering Hall. As a second son, he was content to
work as the village apothecary. But when his brother's death made him
heir just as his father's foolish decisions put the estate at risk, only
the sale of a priceless possession---a ruby called the Bevoy---can save
the family from ruin. But the gem has disappeared. And all trails lead
to Iverness Curiosity Shop---and the beautiful shop girl who may be the
answer to his many questions.

Caught at the intersection of
blessings and curses, greed and deceit, these two determined souls must
unite to protect what they hold dear. But when a passion that shines far
brighter than any gem is ignited, they will have to decide how much
they are willing to risk for their future, love, and happiness.

My review:

This was a wonderful story set in one of my favorite time periods! I found the idea of working in a curiosity shop to be fascinating. I'd love to explore all of the wonderful treasures. I admired Camille and her courage to not only deal with some rough people at the shop, but to make a new way for herself and stand up for what she believed. I also really liked Jonathan and how much he cared about people. He was an amazing person and very unlike his father and sister. The plot was interesting and exciting and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. There's a Scripture reference quoted about all things working together for good to them that love God and I liked how Camille came to see that in her own life. It's hard when you're going through difficult things to think that good can come out of it and this was a good reminder. There's a little bit more to the faith element in the story, but it was fairly light overall. There's a little bit of romance and it moved quickly. I would highly recommend this if you like historical fiction, especially regency.

I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah E. Ladd received the 2011 Genesis Award in historical romance for The Heiress of Winterwood.
She is a graduate of Ball State University and has more than ten years
of marketing experience. Sarah lives in Indiana with her amazing
husband, sweet daughter, and spunky Golden Retriever.

About Me

I'm an avid reader, movie and TV watcher, and music listener. I love to travel and went to Europe last fall for the first time! I also joined a book club last fall and I've read a lot of great books so far. I worked at a Christian bookstore for many years and now work in an office. I enjoy hanging out with my family and friends, my two cats, just relaxing and having fun!